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It was more about being able to walk away with four points and getting players back in form, so they should be feeling pretty confident out of that

Michael Voss

A BARNSTORMING second half by the Brisbane Lions has kept their season afloat and relieved some of the pressure on coach Michael Voss, with his side surging to a 28-point win over Melbourne at the Gabba.

The home side took a slender six-point lead to the sheds at half-time but finally found enough fluency after the main break to run out 17.20 (122) to 14.10 (94) winners.

Melbourne kept coming and kicked the final three goals of the match to add some credibility to the scoreboard.

The win pushes the Lions to 2-3 and just a game outside the top eight ahead of a treacherous run of eight matches that will help determine the future of out-of-contract Voss.

The Lions play the Swans in Sydney next Sunday and follow that with a home match against West Coast and trip to Melbourne to play Essendon.

“If you've got a player who has that number (of possessions) that weighs in the opposition favour.

“The Lions got it away from us from the contested possession.

“The centre bounce was particularly good for them and we weren't combative enough in that area."

Voss said he hoped the win would be a confidence-booster for his side.

"We've cleaned up in the statistics side of things so it was more about being able to walk away with four points and getting players back in form so they should be feeling pretty confident out of that," Voss said.

The Lions' midfield dominance didn't translate to scoreboard pressure though as Melbourne clawed and scrapped to stay in the contest.

The Lions were hesitant going forward, and their numerous turnovers kept the Demons within reach, but eventually the dam wall broke as the home team slammed on 10 goals to seven in the second half.

While it notched a crucial four points, the performance lacked polish, particularly in a horrible second quarter that was best summed up by a passage of play between Demon Shannon Byrnes and Lion Dayne Zorko.

Byrnes attempted to clear in his own defensive 50, only to kick it straight to Zorko at point blank range, who returned serve by kicking it straight back over his head for a goal.